Humidity – the evil of all things. Eating too much meat, consuming contaminated food, coupled with a lack of exercise, leads to an overabundance of yin and deficiency of yang within the body, causing internal accumulation of dampness. Prolonged exposure can damage the spleen. When the spleen is harmed, it cannot fully transform water and dampness, which then accumulates within the body. Here's how dampness forms: According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), a deficient spleen leads to loose stools. Historically, Chinese diets consisted mainly of grains and vegetables, but now many people prioritize meat. Some feel like they're missing out if they don't eat meat every day, leading to an accumulation of undigested food and loose stools. Loose stools indicate a deficient spleen and the presence of dampness.
Internal dampness causing illness: Staying up late into the early hours of the morning and showering right before bed causes the pores to close while sleeping, preventing the expulsion of dampness.
External dampness causing illness: Patients may be exposed to fog, sweat through their clothes, work in water, wade through water or get caught in the rain, or live in damp environments.
Summer is the season when yang energy is most abundant, and the body's pores open, making it easier to expel cold and dampness through sweat. However, many people use air conditioning and consume cold drinks, preventing the natural expulsion of cold and dampness. This accumulation continues into autumn, leaving the body riddled with dampness.
Drinking Tea to Manage Dampness
Green Tea: Green tea retains the maximum amount of fresh leaf components, including a large quantity of Caffeine and polyphenols. Drinking green tea promotes urination, helping to eliminate dampness. What type of green tea should you choose? Options such as Dongting Biluochun, West Lake Longjing, Huangshan Maofeng, Xinyang Maojian, Anji White Tea, and others are excellent choices. Green tea is cold in nature, so those with a naturally cold constitution should monitor their intake. Those with poor stomach health should reduce or avoid drinking it if they experience discomfort. For the general population, once their constitution improves, they can consider alternating between green tea in the morning and other teas in the afternoon.
Puer Tea: Puer tea comes in two varieties – raw and ripe. Raw puer is slightly cooling and can help clear heat, but it can also be harsh on the stomach. Ripe puer, on the other hand, is milder. If you want to manage dampness while also nurturing your stomach, ripe puer is a good choice.
Oolong Tea: Most people with high levels of dampness have poor spleen and stomach function, and some have a cold constitution. In these cases, opt for oolong tea, Dahongpao, or black tea – teas that are warm and nourishing to the stomach. These teas have strong qi and can help regulate the body's energy. All teas promote urination, aiding in the elimination of dampness.
Tips for Managing Dampness
ONE Mugwort: Soak your feet or take a bath with mugwort to use herbs to induce sweating and remove dampness.
TWO Ginger: Use ginger juice to induce sweating. After getting caught in the rain or catching a chill, ginger can help drive away dampness in the body.
THREE Sweating Through Exercise: Exercising and sweating is a great way to eliminate dampness. It's important to note that those with high levels of dampness should limit their use of air conditioning and fans.
FOUR Balanced Diet: Eat a low-salt, light diet, avoiding raw and cold foods, icy drinks, and cool fruits and vegetables such as lettuce, watermelon, Chinese cabbage, bitter melon, crab, eggplant, lotus root, cucumber, persimmon, pineapple, pear, and others. When cooking, add scallions and ginger to offset the coolness of vegetables.
FIVE Maintain Dry Indoor Conditions: During rainy weather, keep windows and doors closed to prevent dampness from entering. Be mindful of preventing external dampness from entering the body.
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